Dress for you

The Only Danger: Being Hugged By Giant Pandas

Naomi sent me this link, from . I love that applique — so pretty and fresh.

The dress is $65, and measures B37/H43.

I wish it had pockets, because I think it would look great with these random shoes I bought on eBay over the weekend:

After I hit "Buy it Now" I realized that I didn't remember the last pair of shoes I'd purchased in a real store, which is pretty weird. (And I count discount chains like DSW and Loehmann's when I say "real stores".) I don't have particularly hard-to-fit feet (8.5, you are my friend) and I'm willing to pass along failures pretty speedily (or turn around and relist them if they don't fit). Has anyone else decided they can do all their shoe-shopping on Zappos and eBay?

LOoooove the colors in this dress. Zappos, etc. yes. Ebay, no. But I have not bought shoes to wear from a store in about a decade. I bought some plastic cheapos from Payless to make shoe molds and for parts in 2005, however.

I love this blog! I’m getting back into dresses after years & years of jeans and T’s. LOVE that dress! Sooo cute. I have bought shoes on-line — but only casual ones from sites like landsend.com, not dressy. I’m going to have to check out some of those websites you all are mentioning, though!

I buy all my shoes online because I do have hard-to-fit feet (11). I used to have nothing but Sketchers because they were the only store that usually had my size in stock, but now I’ve become a stereotype I have so many shoes. It’s fantastic.

I’m pretty right-on with you re: zappos and ebay; free returns are good, so spot a pair you like, try ’em on, and then hunt forever on ebay if you want a better deal. (Though I only do that, really, with super ‘$pensive brands like clergerie.) I do occasionally check out nordy’s and DSW, but I hardly ever buy anything; I like the snooty but funky and practical and generally hard to come by feetwear.

Love the dress.I do have very hard to fit feet – and pretty much wear only NB or SAS brand shoes. I get all the SAS on E-bay (they are way to expensive for me otherwise – I just wait until they have what I need and at my price.) The NB, when I need a new pair next fall, I will probably go to Zappos since they have all the styles and sizes to choose from. In the past I went to a sports shoe store, but they are limited in styles and sizes in stock. Blessings,Patti

I love that dress.I have size 11AAAA (super-narrow) feet and it’s a pain finding shoes in Canada. I have ordered from Zappos, but most of my shoes from Harry Young in Toronto – a bricks and mortar store with a fairly conservative selection, but they fit!I have bought vintage shoes on Ebay with success for both me and my equally narrow sister, btw.

Adorable dress! I love the colors and it does look very fresh and cool, although I suspect I would find that neckline rather confining. I bought my 1st pair of shoes online just a couple of months ago. Saw a cute pair of Keens (Portland Blossoms) in the Eddie Bauer catalog. Went to the Keen website and found the must- have color, deep lichen, NOT available @ Eddie Bauer. I spent weeks trying to find them, finally find them @ Online shoes. I’ve never worn Keens before and ordered the wrong size. The customer service was great, the shipping was free. It was a really good experience.

I love Zappos but need to try ebay!Erin,I know you love your Jack Purcell shoes for casual days but do you ever wear casual sandals with dresses? I am in need of “comfy/casual sandal without looking too earthy” advice. My comfy danskos aren’t working with my half circle skirts/dresses which I just made, and my other choice is a pair of zebra print birkenstocks! I am running around with 3 kids all day so I don’t want to look too dressed up!

Zappos yes, ebay-not so much. I don’t have hard to fit feet but I do know which brands are best for me and tend to like what those brands offer. But Zappos has such a great customer service that if I don’t like something, its never a problem to return or exchange.

I’m lucky enough to live near a few wonderful small, locally owned shoe stores that carry the cute but practical “comfort” brands, and I like to support them. Unfortunately, no one else in my neighborhood seems to like red shoes as much as I do and I can only find the colors I want online. In general I find that the price of online discount stores plus the shipping is about the same as buying in a real store, and then I get the added benefits of wearing them home and helping out a small business. The exception is 6pm, which I recently discovered and may totally change the way I think about online shopping.

What I would have said was that, yes, I buy 90 percent of my shoes online, and 80 percent of those are from Zappos.But I like to be scientific, so I just did a survey of all the shoes I could see lying around in my bedroom (housekeeping? not so much). What I found was interesting (to me, anyway): 37.5 percent from bricks-and-mortar stores, 62.5 percent from online sellers. And of the online purchases, only 35 percent came from Zapposa mere 22 percent of the total.So, what’s happening is that I probably do do roughly three-quarters of my shoe-shopping at Zappos, but then I return two-thirds of what I order from them. Whereas on the rare occasions when I try something on in the store, if I buy something, I keep it. And when I buy from other online vendors (DanskoOutlet.com, I love you!), I’m both more circumspect and more likely to keep things that aren’t perfect, because shipping both ways is expensive and making returns is a nuisance.In any case, I’ve never bought shoes from eBay. Ooh, the horror! To me, eBay is like buying something at a tag sale: returns are out of the question, as the store isn’t even going to still be there the next day. Have you ever successfully returned anything to an eBay seller?

So, the dress is really cute! O.k. miss sewer… what is wrong with this picture? If you want it… why not add the pockets you like? You could find fabric in at least one of the colors to match the dress or appliques… right? How badly do you really want it? LoL The shoes are great… I seem to remember having something similar years ago! Jean

i do love zappos but i find that an occasional trip to DSW is required – sometimes i just *need* to buy a pair of shoes that i wasn’t actually looking for. :)i’m having the hardest time finding a casual, shorts-and-skirts-appropriate sandal for summer! i’ve been to two stores and zappos (where i did find some cute ones, but was not willing to drop the $85…) anybody out there got a great link to a great pair of sandals under $60?

I wear a women’s 12 narrow, so basically, before the internet, I would have had to construct my own shoes out of duct tape and string. I do not think I’ve bought a pair of shoes from a brick-and-mortar since I left size 10 in the sixth grade, except for ordering running shoes through my local shop. I’m pretty sure they can only get my size off the internet, though. (Even online the 12 narrow selection is so boring I could cry; one of my crafting goals is to make my own dress flats one day.)

It’s green, it’s even in my size! and the idea of being hugged by a panda – love it.However, it’s mega short (by my standards) and I’m not a fan of sleeveless (on me) so, sadly, no. But that appliqu is perfect!My best packing tip… on the way to Germany friend no 1 packed (she’s French living in Scotland, she knows packing) and on the way back to Scotland friend no 2 packed (she’s German AND a lawyer, she knows Organised). When I do it, not so much with the organised.

a few years ago when i decided i was going to wear only two-tone golf shoes (sans cleats, of course) i started buying them on ebay and have never shopped in a store again. until this past week, when i bought two pairs of sandals on sale at Easy Spirit. however, it turns out the foot bed of the sandals causes an irritation and allergic reaction on the soles of my feet. the sandals have been passed onto the less sensitive feet of my sister. back to ebay.

Sigh. I have size 6 feet, wide with high arches. Three out of four pairs I slip on don’t fit, so I have to buy shoes the old fashioned way or risk getting bored in the post office line to return it all.

I can squeeze in an 8 wide but more likely am a 10. I buy all my dressy shoes and loafers at thrift stores, and tennies at the SportsLocker.Just bought what I think is a fairly simple, sleeveless shirtwaist dress pattern to be my first project from scratch. Am going to fit it on my neighbor, as this is an exercise in familiarizing myself with sewing technique, and she’ll like it. (Simplicity 8972 Top Stitch Dress and Sash if you want to see.) Interestingly, this is a 70’s/80’s pattern that actually isn’t bad! I saw it at the pattern Rescue site for free, then it was gone, then I found it for sale somewhere else. I AM EXHAUSTED.

Love the big gal feet parade here! I’m an 11 also and shoe shopping online has opened up a great world of possibilities. I do still love my local Off-Broadway shoe store. They are great and pretty inexpensive.

Am I allowed to promote a rebate site here? With all this online shopping, some of it can be cash back for you if you use Ebates. I know Zappos participates and I think I got cash back from Fabric.com.If you sign up here we both get a $5 bonus:, Erin, if this is not cool I completely understand and did not mean to break any DAD rules on posting!

I don’t know what I’d do without zappos. Finding a 10.5 with room for toes is hard, and finding one that looks good is harder. Ebay has the occasional amazing exactly right shoe, too, and I am also willing to reslist or otherwise move any ebay mistakes along to their next owner.

I’ve bought all but one pair of vintage shoes online. I’ve got two pairs of 1940s mesh Naturalizers – yum! For those I go by insole length and width to get the size right. For non-pointy-toe shoes with a heel no more than 2.5″ high, 10.25″ long is just about perfect.In other respects, I’m a perfect size 9 so I have pretty good luck with modern shoes as well. I’d buy even more online if it weren’t for the Naturalizer store 10 minutes from my house. Very dangerous, that place is.

Nope, not bought shoes on eBay. Not yet. But hey, we’re the same size, so if you get any mistakes, give me a sneak preview before you post them. Like the sandals – was wearing something rather similar today.

I think it’s been years since I’ve bought shoes anywhere but Zappos and eBay. I probably return more stuff to Zappos than they’d like, but it’s not all bad for them. I figure, I end up trying stuff I wouldn’t buy if I couldn’t return them. Free return shipping rocks my world. eBay is great for those brands that you’re super familiar with and know that your size will be just as it always is. I buy most of my Birkenstocks via eBay.

Waaah!I can’t get free shipping here in Australia, and Zappos and Anthropologie (I LOVE their shoes!) won’t sell to me, as I’m a Nasty Foreigner.OTOH, I’ve got high arches, and I really have to try shoes on first, AND walk up and down for quite a while to see if they’re OK. Even so, I have shoes in my wardrobe that mysteriously shrunk on the trip home, and never got worn 😦

Cindy, for my version of “sandals” with half-circle skirts and dresses, I usually wind up in Aerosole’s “4-Give” sandals, or somebody’s close version. This is because the sandals are a combination of leather and elastic, so they’re very … 4-giving, and they also stay on my feet. They also have a very small toe-cap, as opposed to being completely open, which means Fewer Blisters for me (very important!). And they come in many colours – I have gold, silver, red, black, nude, and am planning on adding orange this year, and perhaps purple. My other footwear of choice is flat boots or “skimmer” style shoes from Grasshopper; they look like ballet flats, but have padded insides like sneakers. And because I have chisel-shaped feet, I put three pairs of grommets in the shoes, so I can lace them on and they won’t fall off, making them even more balletic! Sewing a ribbon strap or elastic on at the ankle would also work, especially since they’re canvas shoes. Comfy, casual, colourful, fun and attractive!I love Zappos, but would be a little hesitant about Ebay because of the long feet. I did buy a nice pair of poulaines online, though!

I have a closet full of ebay shoes. You can’t go wrong if they are a brand you are familiar with. I buy lots of shoes at Talbots and know they usually fit. Also, open shoes like sandals are safe too.Most sellers have a return policy. For the price, you should take a chance!

Now over half of my shoes are off of ebay or etsy. I love the look and quality of vintage heels and the price too. Why pay $20 for cheap shoes when you can pay $10-20 for shoes that have managed to last 20-40 years. Plus, if they don’t fit right I just resell them.I also have big feet (sz 10- 10 1/2) but I say I need big feet because otherwise at 5:10″ I might fall over without them to prop me up. We wouldn’t want that.